THE PILOT’S GUIDE TO

The Airline Cockpit

Second Edition
Stephen M. Casner
Stephen M. Casner is a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.
Steve holds a Ph.D. degree in Intelligent Systems from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S.
degree in Computer Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.S. degree
from Millersville University. Steve holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with type ratings
in the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, and Cessna Citation. Steve is also a Gold Seal Certified Flight
Instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.

The Pilot’s Guide to the Airline Cockpit

Second Edition
by Stephen M. Casner

© 2013 Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

All rights reserved. The purpose of this book is to provide information on turbine operations.
The user of this information assumes all risk and liability arising from such use. Neither the
publisher nor the author can take responsibility for the actual operation of an aircraft or the
safety of its occupants.

First edition, entitled “The Pilot’s Guide to the Modern Airline Cockpit,” published 2001 by
Iowa State University Press; Second printing 2006 ASA.

Published 2013 by Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

7005 132nd Place SE • Newcastle, WA 98059
Website: www.asa2fly.com • Email: asa@asa2fly.com

ASA-AL-CP2-PD
Print Book ISBN 978-1-61954-038-5
PDF eBook ISBN 978-1-61954-040-8
LC # 2001016897

iv
Contents

List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Chapter 1 The Quick Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2 Planning the Flight Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 3 Following the Flight Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 4 Dealing with En Route Modifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Chapter 5 Flying Off of the Planned Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 6 Rejoining the Planned Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 7 Human Factors of Cockpit Automation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 8 Putting It All Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Chapter 9 Cockpit Automation in Other Airplanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

v
Chapter 1
The Quick Tour
This chapter takes you on a quick tour of the mod-
ern airline cockpit. You will see that the intimidating-
looking computers in the cockpit are nothing more
than a collection of tools designed to lend a helping
hand as you perform the same flight duties that are
required when operating any aircraft. These include
the familiar chores of: (1) planning a flight route;
(2) guiding the aircraft along the planned flight route;
(3) making en route modifications to the flight route;
(4) flying off the flight route to comply with simple
ATC clearances; and (5) sometimes rejoining the
flight route when cleared by ATC.
You will see how using cockpit automation changes
the way you do your job. The automation is capable of
handling some of the dirty work while you and your
crewmate assume the role of supervisors who must
intelligently manage the automation as it performs its
duties.
Planning the Flight Route
Back at the gate, the flight crew works together with a
device called a flight management computer to plan a
highly tuned flight route that makes optimum use of time
and fuel. You and your crewmate must first provide the
flight management computer with information about the
assigned route, aircraft, and expected conditions. The
flight management computer then calculates the details of
the route based on your inputs and displays this informa-
tion to you. The flight crew must then review the route to
ensure it meets all requirements.
Prior to departure, the flight crew works together
with a powerful component of the automated cock-
pit to plan the ideal flight route. The component is
known as the flight management computer (FMC).
The route created by the combination of you and the
flight management computer will do more than sim-
ply maneuver the aircraft among the waypoints and
airways that make up the assigned route. This route
will be highly tuned with respect to both time and
fuel. The computed takeoff thrust will be just right
for atmospheric conditions. The climb, cruise, and
descent speeds chosen will reflect a near-perfect trade-
off between time enroute and fuel burned. The FMC
will calculate the point at which the aircraft will reach
the assigned cruise altitude with remarkable accuracy.
Finally, the FMC will choose a top-of-descent point
that will allow the aircraft to perform a whispering
idle-thrust glide that delivers the aircraft on speed and
altitude at the assigned descent crossing restriction.
How does this ideal flight route get built? The
flight crew and the FMC work together to accomplish
this in three simple steps.
The Flight Crew Enters Information
about the Assigned Route, Aircraft,
and Expected Atmospheric Conditions
The first step in creating a flight route requires the
flight crew to enter a variety of pertinent information
that will help the FMC do its part.
Like every other computer, the flight manage-
ment computer has a keyboard and monitor that allow
the flight crew to view information contained in the
computer and to input information into it. The con-
trol display unit (CDU) serves as the keyboard and
monitor for the FMC. Shown in Figure 1.1, the CDU
displays information about the route on the CDU
screen. Since the FMC contains far more information
1
2 THE PILOT’S GUIDE TO THE AIRLINE COCKPIT
Enter the basics of the route into the
pages of the control display unit.
1.1. The control display unit (CDU).
than could fit on one small screen, information stored
in the FMC appears on a collection of CDU pages.
Each CDU page displays information related to one
particular aspect of the flight route. Only one CDU
page can appear on the CDU screen at a time. The
alphanumeric buttons allow the crew to enter infor-
mation the FMC needs to perform its part in building
the flight route.
The CDU pages shown in Figure 1.1 allow you
to enter information such as the initial position of
the aircraft, the origin and destination airports, the
gross weight of the aircraft, and the planned cruising
altitude.
Using the CDU keypad to enter this information
into each of the CDU pages is the first step in the
flight crew’s part in building the flight route.
The FMC Uses the Crew Entries
to Calculate the Flight Route
After you and your crewmate have entered the basic
information about the route and aircraft, the FMC
constructs a detailed flight route. The FMC draws
on two extensive databases to accomplish this step.
A navigation database electronically stores the same
navigational information contained in your aeronauti-
cal charts. A performance database details the per-
formance characteristics of the aircraft and engines.
It tells the FMC how the aircraft will perform in a
variety of configurations and atmospheric conditions.
Using the information you have entered, the FMC
performs all of the calculations that you had to per-
form in the past using your hand-held flight com-
puter. In addition to figuring the tracks, distances,
times, and fuel remaining at each waypoint, the FMC
also calculates the most fuel-efficient speeds to fly and
the ideal point at which to start your descent as you
approach your destination airport.
The flight plan created by you and the FMC can
take you all the way from your departure runway to
the missed-approach point at your destination airport.
The Crew Reviews the Flight Route
Once the FMC has done its job, the crew must review
the finished product. Why is it so important for you
and your crewmate to check the flight route? You will
soon learn that cockpit automation offers you the
capability to automatically guide the aircraft along the
route. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to make sure
the FMC’s plan is the right one!
How do you review the route that the FMC has
devised? Two displays help you and your crewmate
check the flight route that is now programmed into
the FMC.
A variety of CDU pages list the many details of
the planned route. For example, the Route Legs page,
shown in Figure 1.2, lists the succession of waypoints
that make up the route, along with the altitude and
airspeed at which the aircraft is expected to cross each
waypoint.
Another cockpit display called the electronic hori-
zontal situation indicator (EHSI), shown in Figure
1.3, provides the “big picture” presented in a graphical
format. The waypoint symbols and lines sketch the lat-
1  The Quick Tour
... the bearing and distance to
fly to each waypoint, ...
The Route Legs page
lists the waypoints in
the route, ...
1.2. The Route Legs page.
eral track of the aircraft along the programmed route.
The T/C and T/D symbols show the points at which
the aircraft is predicted to reach the assigned cruising
altitude and the planned top-of-descent point.
Following the Flight Route
The airline cockpit also supports the flight crew in accu-
rately guiding the aircraft along the flight route that has
been planned. Guidance is provided not only along the
lateral portion of the route but also along the vertical tra-
jectory as well. In one mode of operation, the pilot fly-
ing must manipulate the control yoke and thrust levers
in response to roll, pitch, and power commands that are
generated by the automation. In another mode of opera-
tion, the control yoke and thrust levers are automatically
manipulated while other computers track the progress of
the airplane through the air.
3
... and the altitudes and
airspeeds that each waypoint
will be crossed.
Now that the flight route has been built, the next
step is to fly it. As you will see, the automation found
in the airline cockpit not only helps you plan a flight
route, it also helps you follow it.
The Crew Engages Two Powerful
Guidance Functions: LNAV and VNAV
Aside from the flight management computer that
helps you plan a flight route, most modern airliners
contain an autoflight system that assists the flight
crew in guiding the airplane along the route stored
in the flight management computer. The autoflight
system offers powerful guidance functions that help
guide the airplane along the programmed route. The
lateral navigation (LNAV) guidance function auto-
matically manages the roll of the aircraft to guide the
aircraft between the waypoints listed on the Route
Legs page shown in Figure 1.2. LNAV does not man-
age the speed or vertical trajectory of the aircraft. To
4 THE PILOT’S GUIDE TO THE AIRLINE COCKPIT
The electronic horizontal situation indicator (EHSI)
presents the “big picture.”
1.3. 
The electronic horizontal situation indicator
(EHSI).
handle that job, the crew can engage a second guid-
ance function called vertical navigation (VNAV).
VNAV automatically manages pitch and thrust to
help ensure that the aircraft crosses each waypoint at
the speed and altitude shown on the Route Legs page.
You can engage the LNAV and VNAV functions just
after takeoff and use them all the way to the missed-
approach point at the destination airport.
The LNAV and VNAV buttons on the mode control panel (MCP) allow
the crew to engage the two most powerful guidance functions.
1.4. The mode control panel (MCP).
LNAV and VNAV can be engaged by pressing
the LNAV and VNAV buttons on the mode control
panel (MCP) shown in Figure 1.4.
Guidance functions such as LNAV and VNAV
can be used in two basic ways. In one mode of opera-
tion, the pitch and roll commands that are necessary
to guide the aircraft along the programmed route are
presented to the crew using a set of command bars
that appear on each pilot’s electronic attitude direc-
tor indicator (EADI). Together, these command bars
are referred to as the flight director and resemble
the glide slope and localizer needles you have seen
in smaller aircraft. An EADI with flight directors is
shown in Figure 1.5.
Commands presented on the engine indicators
show the pilot flying how to manipulate the thrust
levers. The arrows that appear beside the needles on
the N1 gauges shown in Figure 1.6 are called cursors
or bugs and show the crew the thrust settings that the
FMC has calculated.
In this mode of operation, the flight crew is able
to receive guidance information from the autoflight
system, yet remain in close contact with the controls
of the aircraft.
In another mode of operation, an autoflight system
component called an autopilot automatically manip-
ulates the control yoke, while another autoflight sys-
tem component called an autothrottle automatically
manipulates the thrust levers. Together, these compo-
nents work the controls of the airplane as if it were
being flown by an invisible pilot.
If the flight management computer stores the
sequence of waypoints that make up the flight route
1  The Quick Tour
The flight director shows the pitch and roll
commands generated by the FMC.
1.5. 
The electronic attitude director indicator
(EADI) and flight director.
The cursors on the engine indicators show the
thrust settings calculated by the FMC.
1.6. Engine indicators.
5
and the autoflight system guides the airplane between
the waypoints, how does the airplane keep track of
where it is? Every modern airliner contains a collec-
tion of technologies that keeps all of the cockpit auto-
mation systems informed about the present position
of the airplane at all times. Conventional radio navi-
gation receivers use VOR stations to track position.
Inertial reference systems sense the airplane’s move-
ments in space. Global positioning system receiv-
ers use satellites to determine the aircraft’s position.
Working together, these systems provide an answer to
the important question: Where are we?
The Crew Closely Monitors the
Progress of the Aircraft
Although the cockpit automation systems we have
discussed can do many things that save you time and
effort, like any other computer system, they don’t
always work the way you want them to. For this reason
the flight crew remains in a leadership role in the cock-
pit. You and your crewmate are at all times responsible
for evaluating your situation, deciding how best to fly
the aircraft, and closely supervising and monitoring
the automation. For the flight crew who is now placed
in a supervisory role, cockpit automation provides
plentiful information about what it’s doing and what
it plans to do next.
The Route Legs page, shown in Figure 1.7, lists
the waypoints in the planned route along with the
planned speed, altitude, and distance remaining to
each waypoint. Of particular importance is the first
waypoint in the list, known as the active waypoint.
The active waypoint is the one that the automation is
always working to achieve when LNAV and VNAV
are engaged.
The Progress page, shown in Figure 1.8, displays
the planned time of arrival and fuel remaining at each
waypoint along with the actual time and fuel remain-
ing for the waypoint you have just passed.
THE PILOT’S GUIDE TO

The Airline Cockpit

This book introduces you to the fundamentals of today’s airline cockpit before you enter training at
an airline company. Whether it is a turboprop, a regional jet, a Boeing, or an Airbus, most every air-
liner in operation today contains a flight management system, an autopilot, and other glass-cockpit
systems. These systems represent a gap between the skills you learn during your general aviation
experience and the skills you will be expected to have when you begin your airline flying career. This
book will give you a head start on bridging that gap and acquiring those necessary skills.

Unlike the typical “systems” manual, The Pilot’s Guide to the Airline Cockpit places you in the left
seat and takes you step-by-step through a challenging line flight. It teaches about the airline cockpit
in terms of what you already know as a commercial multiengine instrument pilot. You will learn
how to use the flight management system and auto­pilot to plan and
follow an assigned route. You will learn to deal with realistic enroute
scenarios such as vectors, intercepts, holds, diversions, late descents, “Feeling comfortable the first time
and many others. Along the way, you will learn how to decide which you are in front of an FMC is great!
automation features to use and when, the limits of the automation’s Detailed explanations and illustra-
capabilities, how to monitor the progress of your flight, and remain tions walk you through advanced
systems. [This book is] a must for the
in-the-loop while the automation performs its work.
future airline pilot.”
This book is essential reading for anyone who has aspirations to fly for —Rafael Cardenas,
an airline —it is the ideal companion as you transition from general Captain, Canadair Regional Jet
aviation to regional jets, and then to larger transport-category airplanes.

Stephen M. Casner is a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. He holds a Ph.D.
degree in Intelligent Systems from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. degree in Computer Science from
the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.S. degree from Millersville University. Steve holds an Airline
Transport Pilot certificate with type ratings in the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, and Cessna Citation, and he is
also a Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.

Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

7005 NE 132nd Place SE
Newcastle, Washington 98059
www.asa2fly.com 1-800-ASA-2-FLY